We’ve met a lot of travelers who are surprised by all the places we’ve traveled together. Often met with the response, “I could never travel with someone else, “Solo travel is way better,” or “How aren’t you sick of each other yet!?” To each their own, the Bros say.
Traveling long-term gives you an immense sense of freedom and independence. Invoking feelings that few people in this world get to experience. And traveling solo is priceless, so don’t get it twisted, we’re all for it. It allows time for self-reflection, and personal development, and even creates a sense of internal peace, all wonderful things. However, many solo travelers often fail to mention the price of being alone in a foreign place for an extended period of time.
When you’re constantly making new friends while traveling, sometimes it helps to reflect on those newly formed relationships. Am I surrounding myself with people who care about me? How deep are these hostel friendships, are they ride or die, or just a drinking buddy for the night? Friendship is a two-way street that involves both giving and receiving. It’s about mutual respect, trust, and support. If you had to ask yourself, are a majority of connections you’re forming based on those principles?
If you had the opportunity to go out into the world by yourself or share awe-inspiring travel experiences with a best friend, wouldn’t you choose the latter? This is the quintessential spirit of Bros Around the Globe, built into our ethos:
“Best friends making memories and pushing each other to the boundaries of what’s possible not only in travel, but in life. We’re on a mission to help friends build bonds, create memories and grow though travel experiences.”
That’s what we’re all about. Forming insane itineraries, getting out of our comfort zones, crossing items off a bucket list, and sharing incredible experiences with someone who understands the true you. Someone who, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to look back on those crazy times with, and recall all the wild places and wacky people you’ve met.
It doesn’t matter if you are bros, sisters, cousins, buddies, colleagues, classmates, partners, a couple, or even long-lost pen pals. Just get out there with someone authentic who knows the real you, and the world is yours. Here are our 21 reasons why we think traveling with your best friend beats solo travel…
21. Two Minds, One Itinerary
Planning becomes a breeze when working together to create the ultimate travel itinerary or route. Maybe there was a restaurant or attraction you missed in your travel research. When different likes and interests come together, you’ll be sure not to miss all the must-see places.
Add in two sets of enthusiasm to discover a new place, and you’re more likely to stumble upon those unique, off-the-beaten-path experiences.
20. Celebration Partner
From birthdays and holidays to achieving travel milestones, you have someone to celebrate with. Nothing is sadder than having to spend a special moment alone or with some strangers who you don’t know. Traveling with your best friend can create new traditions or rituals that you look forward to repeating on future adventures.
19. Supporting Each Other’s Goals
Whether you’re conquering a hiking trail or exploring a new culture, your best friend will cheer you on and celebrate your achievements. You’ll receive honest feedback about your travel choices and uncover new places you may have missed. When you are with someone with your best interest in mind, it will help you reach and crush your travel goals and aspirations.
18. Double the Wardrobe
Maybe one that is more for the females, but the Bros have tried it with socks once! Forget packing light, when you have a Sis around the globe and you’re the same size, you can share clothes and accessories. Maybe you’re looking to switch things up for a night out, they have a stylish top you want to try, or your laundry is overdue.
When you travel with your BFF, you can instantly double your travel wardrobe. Or at least that’s what a British girl in a hostel told me once.
17. Making New Friends
Traveling with a friend opens up opportunities to meet new people and connect with locals and fellow travelers. The more the merrier! It’s always fun to bring new friends into your circle.
Some of the best nights out are from being randomly invited by others at the hostel bar. We’ve even helped play matchmaker for each other’s hostel crush. You are more likely to put yourself out there when you have a true friend as a fallback.
🌎 BROS TIP: When you travel with a partner in crime, one must approach #17 wisely. We advise you to not fall into the trap of only sticking together and being anti-social! It’s easy to go with the safe route and not approach others, but that’s not what we travel for! Remember to get out of your comfort zone, especially if talking to strangers is a skill you want to get better at. All I’m saying is: just don’t just be conjoined at the hip, and put yourself out there!
16. Safety in Numbers
Ever have to walk back to a hostel or hotel from the bar on a night out in a foreign country? You know, that scary back alley, Google Maps routes you to a strange city. Even dealing with a feisty cab driver doesn’t seem as intimidating when you’ve got a buddy there with you.
Wherever you find yourself, unfamiliar places feel safer when you have a trusted friend around. It makes everything feel a little safer in your mind, or at least it appears that way.
15. Dual Perspectives
Discovering new places becomes richer when you share and discuss your different perspectives on the same experience. Your homie may have a different take on a war, or history of a region, or feel a location is overrated.
Bringing two perspectives to the table can open your eyes to something you may not have noticed otherwise. You can share your beliefs, takes, and opinions on a wide range of topics. Looking at something through a different lens can make you a more well-rounded individual and a great listener.
13. Built-in Entertainment
Inside jokes, shared playlists, watching a new series, you’ll never be bored with your best friend around. The amount of inside jokes will become impressive, almost like you both start speaking another language. Just be sure to build in some solo time or activities by yourself so you can do your own thing and have some of your own unique experiences.
14. Problem-Solving Duo:
At some point, shit hits the fan. Because we’d be lying if we said our travels always go to plan. Travel comes with its share of problems and having a partner in crime makes solving them quicker and more fun. You both weigh out the good, the bad, the ugly, and plot the next moves accordingly. Two minds think better than one!
12. Always Have Someone to Talk To
Long bus rides, delayed flights, or quiet evenings are never lonely when you have your best friend to talk to. Those mundane travel moments always seem to fly by when you’re talkin’ shit. It sure beats keeping all those thoughts to yourself when you’re bored.
Sometimes you can’t get deep into topics when you first meet new people. Things remain surface-level and nobody wants to offend anyone with their opinions. From our experience, when you can have those deep chats with people you just met, they’re usually pretty fun to hang with.
11. Photography Dream Team
When you travel with your best friend, you’ll be capturing moments with ease. They’re like a designated photographer who knows all your best angles, though we think the candid shots always turn out the best.
Whether it’s capturing that shot that’s impossible to snap in selfie mode, or even sharing photos taken along your journey, the photos you get when traveling together are priceless. Just don’t abuse the unspoken code and be like the “Instagram girlfriend” who’s always asking for a million photos every two seconds.
10. Support System
Whether it’s navigating a new language or dealing with travel hiccups, you have immediate support from someone you trust. Having someone to call an audible aids decision-making on the fly when something goes awry.
You are less likely to beat yourself up over a wrong step made along your journey, and having a voice of reason will keep you in check. When you have those missteps, you are less likely to get hung up on it when you talk about what went wrong.
9. Easier Decision Making
Making decisions is faster when you have someone to share thoughts and preferences. Where are we eating? Where are we staying? How will we get there? Sometimes it’s nice when someone else takes the reigns to handle the logistics and bookings.
A team effort goes a long way. It’s all about creating a balance so everything is not so one-sided. For all the couples out there, we can categorize this as debatable.
I get _ _ _ _ with a little help from my friends, fitting for Amsterdam.
8. Divide and Conquer
Tackling travel responsibilities is easier when you can divide tasks based on each other’s strengths. Whether it’s booking a plane, train, bus, or any combination of the three, mapping out the necessary logistics becomes less overwhelming and easier with two heads tackling the task.
Bouncing ideas off of one another also leads to smoother laid-out logistics. Maybe you’re under the weather and can’t be bothered with getting that next booking done. No worries, your travel buddy got you.
7. Motivation Boost
When the going gets tough, your best friend is there to motivate and push you to overcome challenges. Maybe you miss a bus or train and start to question all your decisions. Surrounding yourself with friends will keep the vibes high. Nobody likes a downer. Countless times, I’ve woken up not in the mood to get on that tour or do that activity we planned on doing.
Having a friend there will convince you to get up and get moving because the unexpected is out there waiting for you. This can be especially true on those days when you may be a little hungover. We try to always remind one another how lucky we are to be doing what we’re doing.
6. Mental and Physical Health Support
Travel can be both emotionally and physically challenging. Having your best friend along for the ride provides crucial emotional support. We’ve both been there when a call from our family comes from overseas with unfortunate news on the homefront.
It gives you a sense of reassurance when you can talk openly about how you feel to someone who understands. We also know from first-hand experience having someone you trust when a medical emergency arises is a lifeline you never thought you needed.
5. Cost Sharing
This one is a no-brainer. Splitting expenses means you can indulge in more experiences without breaking the bank. This is especially true when it comes to lodging. Airbnb and other forms of accommodations often have more amenities when booking for more than one. Maybe you get a discount for a tour when reserving more than one person.
Think about that taxi fare, or when you hit up the local market or grocery store, it sure is nice when you can split the bill with someone else. We recommend coming up with a system that works for you both, that way, you don’t have to whip out a calculator for every transaction.
4. Pushing Each Other’s Limits
Your best friend can encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try new things, leading to personal growth and self-discovery. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve helped push each other out of our comfort zones.
Maybe if you were solo, you’d shy away from walking a riskier line or doing that one thing that scares the hell out of you. For the Bros, it’s not really about FOMO or one-upping one another, but what we like to call a stoke booster.
3. Adventurous Eats
Trying local cuisine is twice as enjoyable when you can share and savor various dishes. On the fence about your order? Go half-sies and split it! Then you can argue over who won the order. More friends = more dishes to try!
Food is one of the best ways to learn and understand a country. And who are you going to share that 2-for-1 drink special with? Plus, you’ll never have to be the person sitting at a dinner table with headphones on watching Netflix on their phone…Unless that’s your thing.
2. Shared Memories
Every moment, from spectacular sunsets to laughable mishaps, is a shared memory that strengthens your bond. Imagine 20 years from now and looking back on a random place you were. Are you going to reach out to the person you met in the hostel who you shared that one day with? Will they even remember you?
Who knows, every relationship is unique. But oftentimes when traveling, those friendships are just a snapshot of a person during a time in their life. Lately, we reminisce more about the journey and the characters we’ve met than the actual locations themselves.
1. Deeping a Lasting Friendship
The experiences you share while traveling create a bond that will last a lifetime. When you’ve got someone who truly has your back when you are in a foreign place where nobody knows you, it hits differently than rolling solo.
Like anything in life, when you put it to the test, you see what your friendship is made up of. Will it stand the test of travel? 9 times out of 10 your relationship will evolve and grow over time spent abroad, for the better.
Hiking from Teth to Valbona in the Albanian Alps.
Now that you know why traveling with your best friend is awesome, check out our keys to traveling to over 40 countries together:
9 Ways to Be a Great Travel Buddy
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